A place to keep my memories, in case the worst happens
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by Lily  February 10, 2011 7:12 pm

Perhaps we are too hasty to call the antics of adolescence simply young and naïve. We smile and chuckle at it as adults as if we are beyond it, but when it comes to matters of the heart, I now believe we are all capable of, sometimes very susceptible to that behavior.

Take, for instance, Fishy. One of the oldest Thooms I know, not to mention exiles, and I hold a deep respect for his experiences in the world. It’s a privilege to be able to call him my best friend, or at least up until the most recent chain of events. That may be over now, he may no longer trust me.. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself.

I’ll start at the beginning and work my way up. The beginning is relative, though, as “how it came to pass” is more a private matter and not truly mine to tell, despite my telling of it to an individual involved.

During our recent visit to the Golden Butterfly, which seems to be at least a bi-zodiacal visit these days, I watched Fishy very closely. I’d been sitting on his feelings for just over two seasons. He’d told me not to tell her, and I didn’t; however, his “adolescent” angst at the situation shone through on the smaller things he said. She, of course, was oblivious.

She’s used to affections with no deeper meaning. People want to be close to her because of her renowned position in our society. She is a Knight, she is a performer, and she’s a personality our town has sorely missed. Her return sparked new life into Fishy, and then subtle misery.

Anyway, background aside.. My story actually opens when she exits the library.

Teenage Folly

I waited for her arrival for days, making sure I was always available for when she did come out from her studies, so that I would have time to speak with her. We exchanged our greetings briefly, and I asked for some time to speak with her privately.

I led her to a place I knew Fishy could not walk in on us accidentally. He had no idea of what I was about to do, and given the reaction afterward, it probably wouldn’t have happened if he had known. I, of course, blurted out that he couldn’t follow us here, and then we had to clarify that Zo bodyguards were not necessary.

I was scared.. No, I was terrified, mostly for his sake. If this went poorly, I would have ruined his chances entirely. It was a gamble of mine to get involved at all, and maybe I shouldn’t have.

After much flustering and sidestepping, as is the general rule with her, I finally got to my point. I cited the misletoe incident, which Lazy Ranger effectively sidestepped when it went badly, and told her simultaneously of Fishy’s affections and how I really didn’t want anything to happen to him.

Then things started to get strange.

She wanted to kill him, but she didn’t want to kill him. She was entirely taken by surprise, and seemed lost within her own thoughts. We briefly discussed some of her marital history, of which I will hold to myself, and then I explained to her how this came to pass.

She wanted to rest in town centre, to digest the information. Fishy was there, and entirely clueless as to what had transpired. She raved at him, vaguely. Gradually, he figured out that I had done something to spark this insanity. I invoked my mystic right to a tight tongue, which got him to stop asking for a short time.

Everyone in town seemed to believe she was referring to Fishy no longer training languages with her, and made inappropriate jokes to that effect. I, of course, could say absolutely nothing as I watched all of this unfold.

Then, after a stream of vague accusations escaped her lips, she exclaimed that she was going back to her studies. She informed Fishy, and all of town in the process, that they would be speaking very soon. Repeatedly.

Then she yelled that it would be a big wedding, which left everyone, including myself and Fishy, perplexed. I’m not actually sure where this leaves everything, but I hope it is positive.

Fen’neko Regret

After the events of Teenage Folly, I ran. I hid. I cowered. I cried. Fishy was clearly angry, and the proclamation of a wedding had all but ensured my demise.

My actions would have left my people ashamed, it might have forced me to re-do my rites as an adult Fen’neko. It was very shameful, but I don’t know how I would have handled things differently. Maybe, in the end, I’m not actually an adult, or maybe this is still a “matter of the heart.”

Regardless, Fishy found me. With mister Aganju at his side, I was chased. Not something I am proud of, again, but I ran. I ran as fast as I could to get away. Survival instincts, perhaps.

The elements were against me and it started to rain. I had no time to don my coat as the wretched rain matted my fur and weighed my flight down. I took shelter in the temple, and prepared for the worst.

Fishy and mister Aganju cornered me there, Fishy demanding answers that I did not honestly want to give him. I gave him vague answers, hoping the brazier would dry me enough so I could make my escape before I had to be directly honest. Unfortunately, it was not the case. It slipped out, and in my panic, I shoved Fishy to the side and stumbled out the temple doors back into the rain.

Again, I was running. I ran all around, trying to shake my pursuers. When I finally did, I dove into mister Bumgal’s hut and begged miss Zonne to hide me. I imagine she had heard the gossip, however, and ignored my request.

Shivering, wet, and cold, I finally donned my coat in the hopes it would bring some subtle comfort. There I waited, hoping for an idea to come across my mind to get me out of the mess I was in.

I thought of living on Thieves’ Island, I thought of trying to make it a joke, I thought of forever hiding from Fishy. None of these ideas were realistic, and before too long, Fishy and mister Aganju made an appearance.

mister Aganju took pity on me, I believe. He claimed that I would never wear my cloak indoors, and that I was, in fact, a sock puppet placed to throw Fishy off my scent. Or something to that effect. He then preyed on Fishy’s biggest weakness. He offered a trip to the casino to get Fishy’s mind off of things.

All the while, Fretty – dear Fretty – was sunstoning me, telling me he had a hiding place he could stash me in. I told him they were still there, and I couldn’t leave. While it was ultimately unnecessary, as mister Aganju had managed to distract Fishy, Fretty sent out general misinformation about my whereabouts in an attempt to lead Fishy away.

Once Fishy and mister Aganju had left, I waited. I waited long enough that I felt sure I could make a break for it. I followed Fretty’s directions, only to meet a walking dead that took a bite out of me before I could make it there.

Down into the underground I went, wounded and weakened. Fretty led the way, distracting spiders and other creatures that had smelled the blood from my wound as best he could. We ran a great ways before an arachne jumped out of hiding and felled me.

I could no longer run, I was too weak. I fell into despair and told Fretty the emotional jist of what had transpired. He comforted me, in his way, and told me he believed Fishy didn’t have it in him to actually kill me. It’s amazing how Fishy keeps his nefarious side to himself.

Then Fishy arrived and without a word, wrapped the chain around my arm securely, dragging me out of the underground. His lack of words only fueled my fears.

I was dragged through town centre, a spectacle for all to see, including Ma’ta Melben. miss Kitty – miss Boo Boo Kitty, not to be confused with miss Moon Kitty – set off in chase. When Fishy proclaimed we were headed to the casino and dove into the bank, the chain loosened its grasp and finally slipped off.

Fretty had miss Kitty heal me, and he and mister Aganju stood between Fishy and myself after his re-emergence from the bank.

Fishy struck a deal with me. I win him something from the casino, something grand, and he would forgive me. He even gave me two thousand coins to bet with. mister Aganju’s suggestion had saved my life, I will have to be sure to thank him the next time I see him.

Once inside the casino, I began rolling. mister Vashein was not agreeable, and I kept losing. I hid inside of my coat to hide my fear, and Fretty again tried to protect me. At that point, though, I was caught. It was this or perhaps death.

Once again, mister Aganju took pity on me, however. He handed me a metal and stood behind mister Vashein. His voice impersonations are quite impressive, as he made it seem as though mister Vashein had awarded me a metal.

Fishy did not seem impressed and insisted I keep rolling. This went on for some time, I did win an uli flower and four ore, but it didn’t seem to impress Fishy. Right up until he said he had forgiven me with the metal. Sometimes, I hate that Thoom. Putting me through emotional torture just so I would spin the wheel for him. I suppose your best friends can also be your worst enemies in the end, though.

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5 Comments

  1. Reply by Slyph February 11, 2011 at 4:08 pm

    I like the part where squire Lily stood and fought. OH WAIT MY BAD.

  2. Reply by Lily Fren February 11, 2011 at 6:28 pm

    Could have been worse.. But the title of her story -is- “Fen’neko Regret” 😉

    Guess she has a lot to learn about bravery, still!

  3. Reply by Slyph February 11, 2011 at 8:09 pm

    At least Lily is not a mad would-be murderer. Gosh.

  4. Reply by Trymon February 11, 2011 at 8:30 pm

    That was just a convoluted plan to get her to gamble! Mostly…

  5. Reply by Anonymous? February 17, 2011 at 4:08 am

    So when do we get to the vow about courage in the face of one’s friends? 🙂

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